MISSION 11:
Old Scars
Evelyn's room is neat and has soft colors, worldly gray and topsail, on the walls. She had different things inside, including her horror movie collection, medical books with new techniques, and some drafts on creating new items for Ethan to regain energy. She fixed the room the way she would like it, and the floors were dark oak floors. The few things that stood out were at a particular spot, almost like a shrine, an old plushie of a mystical animal, flowers, and candles that were off.
Evelyn would wake up with a stretch, yawing as her hair was all over the place, taking time to take care of it and braid it in her usual style. She would grab her nearby necklace, click on the top mechanism, and see pictures of her kit before closing it and placing it around her neck.
"Another beautiful day…..right, Atlas?" Evelyn would say before leaving.
In the Strays base, Ethan looked anywhere but where Jake was, feeling his teacher's fury as Jake looked at his exam papers. He was sitting at the lunch table in the cafeteria and just waiting for Jake to say something. Jake would stay on the documents, sharply glance at Ethan, and then return to them as he tried processing the score. This happened for half an hour as the orange kat decided what to do to the boy.
It was early in the morning. Ethan wished Jake would yell at him before the rest of the team headed here, not wanting them to hear or see him get yelled at because of his score. The boy recalled being woken up early by Jake as he desired to test him out early and finish it as soon as possible.
Math….C-!
History….C+!
Social Studies….C-!
Science….D+!
Central Language….Hard Fucking F!
1.40 GPA
Ethan cried internally when hearing the other adults entering the cafeteria, all waking up and ready to start their day until spotting the pair. One by one, all made their way inside, getting their food and eyeing Jake, who was still trying to figure out what to say and do. Chance was the only one brave enough to approach Jake, glancing at the papers and grades, wincing before grinning when realizing something.
"Guess I'm the greatest teacher in the Strays," Chance laughed, making Jake rip the sheet he was holding and slam his paws on the bench. "What's the matter, genius? Can't bare the idea of me beating you?"
"Motherfucker!" Jake growled, gripping his fist and refusing to look back to see Chance's smug face. Oh no, he had someone else to focus on! Jake slowly looked up at Ethan, who was feeling his soul leaving his body and praying to whatever power to save him from Jake. The orange kat wanted to scream obscenities at Ethan but bit his lip and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking slow breaths to calm himself.
Evelyn was the second to approach, seeing the scores and mouth dropping. She quickly glared at Jason, with who she would share the responsibilities of teaching Ethan science.
"Is there a reason Ethan scored a 'D+'…have you been teaching him ANYTHING?" Evelyn snapped, feeling the weight of dismay like a sinking anchor. She grabbed the science papers and showed them to Jason, "Or do you just glare at him during his time with you?!"
"What?! It's not my fault the little idiot can't understand basic things!" Jason scoffed but glared at Chance's smirk, annoyed that the tabby was rubbing it at the rest of the team. The Bengal grabbed some papers nearby and saw the central language score, "Well…..it could be worse…..did you see this score?"
Everyone saw the score and winced, all except Tina, who yawned and was sitting on top of the lunch table, enjoying her toasted bread with cream cheese and coffee. Evelyn, Mike, and Benson shuddered at the sight – a garbled mess and no indication that the kid had improved in this area.
"Say, Tina….. is Ethan having a hard time with this curriculum or…." Benson said before noticing Tina's behavior and realizing something. The black kat shifted his glasses, "Have you been teaching the kit anything?"
Before Tina could say anything, Ethan piped in.
"Nope!" Ethan weakly laughed, feeling another harsh gaze behind him. Jake glared at him in the front while Tina glared at him from behind.
"You freaking snitch!" Tina rumbled. "Stay quiet or else!"
"Well…better you than me!" Ethan snapped, glancing back at Tina, "She gave up the first week! All I've done with her is just….. NOTHING except stay out of her way and wait till the time was up."
"Say, aren't I supposed to TEACH you combat skills today?" Tina reminded Ethan while miming with her mouth, 'You. Are. Dead!' She saw Ethan shudder and put two hands together to apologize, "Nope…. I'm going to teach you real good!"
"Someone! Save me from this crazy she-kat!" Ethan whimpered, moving out of the way when seeing Tina crouching and jumping at him. Ethan took cover behind Evelyn and Benson, feeling his heart race as Tina approached him.
"Come over here, you little brat!" Tina growled, approaching the boy with such animosity only to be blocked by Benson, who put his paws out and indicated her to cool down.
"Let's just take a breath!" Benson firmly but gently said to the she-kat. He put a paw on her shoulder, feeling her ease up, and weakly smiling at the spicy kat, "We are all friends here, no-"
It was a flash. Tina's mood shifted, quickly slamming Benson on the ground before placing him in a chokehold. Benson was surprised by the sudden attack and attempted to get the upper hand on his teammate.
"What did I say?" Benson wheezed out, feeling her hold getting tighter on him and her boobs pressing his head. He quickly smacked Tina's nose with a swift backhand strike, effectively making her loosen enough and allowing him to escape. Benson grabbed his throat, rubbed it, and looked at the angry she-kat before him. He winced when noticing his strike caused her to bleed, making him put an arm up and try to apologize.
Tina rubbed her nose and saw the blood on her paw. She was like a statue and blankly looked at Benson. A grin appeared, and she raised her hands as she approached the tom.
"Lets not-"
Tina lunged at Benson, who attempted to block her attacks and attempted to grab him. Evelyn and Jason were arguing, with Mike standing between them to ensure they did not escalate the situation further. Chance kept laughing at the situation and commented about Jake's inability to teach, which resulted in the smaller tom lunging at him. Everyone was fighting someone, and Ethan looked perplexed at the destruction while standing near the exit.
"Uh, guys…." Ethan whispered, trying to figure out how to stop this. His head turned when he heard the door open, revealing June, which sank the kid's heart.
June froze, looking at her kats battling with each other. However, she raised an eyebrow and shook her head, realizing no major wounds had been done. June noticed the papers Jake had left nearby, effortlessly passing all the kats and picking them up. She scanned them quickly and frowned, letting a massive sigh for everyone to hear and see that June had arrived, making them all freeze.
"What the hell is this?" June said with a smile to the boy and started approaching Ethan. "My my….Why is there an F? Care to explain, Ethan…how about you, Tina? There is a D in here….And some that could have been D's by a couple of points. So…..what seems to be the problem?"
"Uh….um….." Ethan weakly let out, looking down and trying to figure out how to escape the situation, "Oops?"
June sighed but quickly patted the boy's shoulder, "It's an improvement from earlier, so let's celebrate the win somewhat…however, I expect improvements next time. Need I remind all of you that Ethan is your responsibility? If he remains the same, I'll ban free days to whoever's subject scores low for a month."
Everyone in the room froze, feeling the words hit them and the Dynamic Duo glaring at the boy in annoyance.
"Why are we getting punished for this idiot?" Jason growled, clenching his fist and wanting to hurt the boy. "We're not teachers! We are soldiers with the sole mission of stopping kats like Dark Kat!"
"I agree. It's a waste of time for us to spend with this kit," Tina said, crossing her arms. "I'm not going to-"
"Seems like all of you need a reminder," June said.
Tina stopped when June pulled out a remote from her pocket, making Tina's ears flatten and grab her neck. Jason was the same. The Bengal's anger went out the window, and he was worriedly eyeing the remote. Apart from Chance and Ethan, all Strays looked tensely at the remote and held their breath as they hoped June did not press the button. Mike gave a grim look and sighed as he waited for what came next.
June kept her smile as she clicked on one of the buttons, triggering a minor shock for the Strays, except for Ethan and Mike, who watched the whole situation. Ethan was horrified and confused as he saw the kats around him tense up before falling to the floor, poorly attempting to stay up. The boy instinctively ran towards Chance and Evelyn, who groaned and gritted their teeth at the pain. Ethan was helpless and looked back at June with eyes that begged her to stop whatever she was doing.
June stopped smiling when seeing Ethan's look and sighed, clicking the button again and releasing the adults from their punishment. She walked towards the kitchen, ignoring Ethan and the kats around her, who were still recovering.
"I've been fair with all you kats. This is a simple request that some of you have failed to accomplish. However, it seems some of you still want to argue with me," June said, grabbing a cup and preparing some tea for herself. "Remember, I can make this whole operation stricter and get rid of the free days…..my orders are absolute, and there is no wiggle room…you do as told regardless of how pointless it is. Do I make myself clear?"
"What was that?" Chance growled, feeling Ethan trying to help him stand up from his side. The tabby gave a weak smile and indicated Ethan to help Evelyn first, to which the boy nodded and headed to the doctor on the floor. Chance's eyes went dark, and he wanted to hurt his boss for that sudden attack, but something more critical lingered in his mind…..when did she put the device in his neck? He touched his neck where he felt it when it suddenly hit him, and he looked at Evelyn.
"Seems like you figured it out," June said, putting the tea bag on her cup and pouring hot water. "You thought it was just a tracker when Evelyn did your general check-up? How do you suppose I can keep track of the Strays and keep you in line if something occurs? Oh….and I wouldn't think of trying to take it away or do anything to me…..there are fail-safes in case things happen. I thought I would have used it on you when you got on your jet….I'm glad that escape wasn't on your mind that day."
Chance was about to snap at her, but nothing came out as he gritted his teeth and looked at the floor. He then looked at Evelyn and Ethan, seeing the boy holding Evelyn up as she groaned, holding her neck and trembling as she tried recovering. Evelyn saw his look and looked away from the tabby, avoiding the questioning gaze and the bit of betrayal.
Everyone stayed silent and kept their head down to their reality. The risk of losing the somewhat freedom they had was something they could not afford to lose, and they only nodded their head to their keeper.
All except one.
"What kind of kat does this to someone?" Ethan muttered, getting everyone to look at him with fear and for him to stop. "They don't deserve this at all. It doesn't give you the right to treat them like this."
"Is that so?" June said, grabbing her cup and making her way toward Ethan, taking a drink of her tea as she stood before the boy. Her eye was lifeless, and she eyed the boy harshly, who stood firm even though he shook. "Hmmm….sit with me."
Ethan watched June pass him and sit on the bench facing everyone in the room. The boy followed her cautiously, sitting beside her where she indicated him to sit. June took another sip before putting a firm hand on Ethan's chin, moving his head to face Evelyn.
"Let's start with the doctor…..Evelyn Sharp," June said, pointing with one finger for the boy to look at Evelyn. "Killed thirty kats in custody, almost got away with it if she did not get sloppy with her last kill. On the bright side, they were some bad kats that harmed others, but what gives her the right to be their executioner?"
Ethan's eyes were filled with disbelief on hearing that, and he was about to shake his head when he saw Evelyn look away. Ethan was then led to face Benson, who winced and looked away, knowing it was his turn.
"Benson Scratch…..stole multiple and sensitive documents for money…He betrayed the Enforcers, gave criminals blueprints to increase their arsenal, and gave well-kept secrets to neighboring countries…..Effectively becoming a traitor to Megakat City," June said, guiding the boy towards the Dynamic Duo.
The pair growled but looked to the floor.
"Tina Pouncy and Jason Tailer…..a ground unit that disobeyed orders, let a dangerous criminal escape. They would have been dishonorably discharged if Tina did not decide to attack her superior. Jason busted her out of prison. They went rogue – working as mercenaries until their eventual capture."
Ethan wished he had kept his mouth shut. He hated hearing his whole team's dirty laundry was casually thrown out. Every word that June said hit the group, reminding them they had no say in this team due to their crimes. Ethan attempted to look away when June guided him toward the Swat Kats, but June had a firm grip on him and brought him to face them.
"Chance Furlong and Jake Clawson…..the infamous Swat Kats that terrorized Megakat City for several years. Millions of dollars in damages to buildings, stole dangerous equipment and sold it to the highest bidder, and put some excellent Enforcers incapacitated….effectively making them retire early. Worst of all…they worked with Dark Kat, an omega who terrorized and killed many kats that got in his way."
June let go of Ethan harshly and began to leave.
"They 'don't deserve this,' you say? They are lucky to be here instead of rotting in prison for the rest of their lives. Let me remind you…..you could have been locked away, and god knows what they would have done to you…..you are a kit, but kats don't see you like that. So keep that mouth shut and….." June stopped when looking back at Ethan, staring at the ground as if he was staring at the abyss, lost and reminded of his situation. June's ears twitched, and she looked away.
For Ethan, the words hit him, and they shook him. He looked at his hands and glanced at everyone who looked differently than him before looking back down. Their dinner together a bit ago seemed like a distant memory, and he questioned things as he stayed silent.
"Tina…..I better see higher marks next time. For now, I hope you can at least teach Ethan how to defend himself," June coldly said, leaving the room. Mike followed after June after assisting Jason back on his feet, giving Ethan a sympathetic look before leaving.
Mike hurried toward his boss and went in front of her, his eyes filled with worry and concern as he looked at June, who seemed empty. The tom flinched as she sharply looked at him and went around him without much care. Mike shuffled to the side to prevent her from leaving.
"The hell was that? Both Tina and Jason were backing up. Why did you do that?" Mike said, ignoring June's harsh gaze and putting his arm up to prevent her from leaving.
Suddenly, June quickly grabbed one of his arms, pulling it back and then sweeping one of his legs for him to lose balance. It was just a second, and June was on top of him while holding his arm in a lock and feet firmly on his back. Mike was not prepared and was dazed. His face was on the cold ground beneath him.
"Don't ever get in my way," June said. She let go and continued down her way.
"Is it because of Dark Kat?" Mike questioned, rubbing his arm as he sat up. He watched June stop. "Sorry if I am speaking out of line, but you can't let him get in your mind. We are going to stop him one day. Just that day, wasn't it."
"Mike…...if it was Doctor Viper….would you be so casually saying things like this?" Evelyn demanded, glancing at him with her piercing eye, making the younger kat look away. She sighed and looked forward, "I thought so."
Mike gripped his arm, a slight rumble in his throat as Viper came to mind before shaking his head and focusing on his boss. His eyes soften, watching his reflection walk down the lonely revenge path.
"Maybe not…..but was it fair of you to hurt the kit like that?" Mike called out.
June stopped again, ears twitching, before heading away from her subordinate.
In the training room, Ethan felt the mat as he spun back and groaned for a bit before weakly attempting to stand up, only for a wooden baton to be aimed at his head. The boy froze and put his hands up so Tina would stop, only to get a poke in the head, making Ethan let out a small yell as he rubbed his head.
"I had my hands up!" Ethan growled, sitting upright and glaring at the she-kat, who ignored him and walked to position in the middle of the mat.
"And? Do you think someone will stop if you cry for mercy? Get up, and let's go again!" Tina said, putting her wooden baton on her shoulder and moving it as she waited for the boy to stand up. She snarled when Ethan refused to stand up, already panting and sweating as she had put him in the ringer since they started. "Get up!"
"Fuck off! Give me a moment, alright!?" Ethan said, weakly reaching for his baton and looking at it with annoyance.
"What a fucking riot!" Jason called out, making the boy look at the only other kat in the room, sitting by a bench and watching the whole thing, acting like a bouncer to prevent anyone from interrupting the training.
After the little reminder, everyone went their separate ways, and Tina harshly brought Ethan to the training room. Evelyn and Chance were about to join until Jason stopped them, telling them to mind their business and not to get in Tina's way. The pair were about to argue when Tina told them that she would not hurt the kit, and they needed to realize that Ethan must learn how to defend himself. After some thought, the duo nodded but firmly reminded the Dynamic Duo that they would retaliate if great harm came to the child.
"Asshole, how about you shut up?" Ethan grumbled, weakly standing up and looking at Tina. "This is stupid. Why do I need to learn how to fight? Like hello, I have my magic."
"You done? Come at me with the intent to kill," Tina growled, seeing her student refusing to move. She let out a rumble and fought the urge to run at him. "So weak…and I'm barely breaking a sweat."
"All you do is throw me around! You haven't given me any pointers or told me anything, much like central language. This is pointless! You are just taking things out on me!"
"A bit….however, I am teaching you things."
"Like what?!"
"Two things. First, if you were to fight one-to-one with someone with bare hands….you would lose as your species is weaker than us. So you need to use weapons to defend yourself, which is why we will use them when we go at it. Second, what will you do if you can't use your magic? Do I need to remind you of Michael?"
Ethan winced at the mention but refused to look at her, dropping his baton and heading toward the exit. He was tired and sick of being thrown around like a ragdoll. However, Tina's words hit Ethan as he thought about it, but his stubbornness was getting the best of him as he refused to admit she was right. He rejected getting told what to do….especially if it came from these two, who treated him differently, unlike the rest of the crew. Jason would treat him like garbage and with hostility, while Tina would ignore him and treat him like a pest.
"Just shut up! I'll figure things out my way!" Ethan yelled out. His filter was off, and he quickly said the first thing that came to mind, "I don't need to learn shit from you. You only think about yourself, and that's why you are here!"
Tina's fur bristled and was about to snap at Ethan to return till her eyes widened, seeing Jason already on Ethan.
"JASON, STOP!" Tina shouted.
Ethan did not have a second to think, seeing fur and then the mat as he was pressed down. He gasped and barely had enough time to react when feeling one of his arms pulled back. Ethan shivered, and his heart raced as he finally realized this familiar position. He tried muttering Shadow Gateway, but nothing came out as his fear overtook him.
"Stop! STOP, please!" Ethan begged, feeling a bit of pressure.
"SHUT UP!" Jason said, gritting his teeth and looking at the small prey beneath him that froze and eyed him with fear. "If you wanna run that mouth to anyone else, that is fine, but don't think I'll let it slide towards my friend….you got that?"
"Yes!" Ethan winced, trying hard to move. He turned his head slightly to see the wild beast above him. Ethan saw Jason lowering himself while keeping a firm hold on his arm and back.
"Good, now that I have your attention. Let me spell things out for you. I don't see a kit here, but an alien invader that is overstayed his welcome. It sickens me to see the rest getting chummier with you. Aliens have never brought anything good to us, only misery and pain. The moment you show your true colors…..I will end you," Jason spat venomously.
"I won't do anything," Ethan managed to whisper, eyes glancing at the door and hoping someone would come in to save him.
"Eyes back here!"
Ethan winced, looking back at Jason.
"No one is coming to save you. It's only me and you, you got that? What a fucking joke….." Jason paused, thinking about something.
Ethan shivered, keeping his eyes on Jason and refusing to upset the kat, but was curious about what he had to say.
"What is?"
"…..Say, here's a thought, who do you think Evelyn and Chance would save if the situation was between a real kit and you? My money is on the kit. Of course, they would feel a bit bad, but move on…accepting they made the right choice."
Ethan was about to argue against the idea, but his words came out empty, and his eyes went to the floor, really thinking about the scenario. Part of him hoped they would pick him, but the other part argued that he was not their kit and someone from their race was more important.
"That goes for the rest of the team and June…..do you honestly think they would-?" Jason stopped, feeling Ethan's arm no longer struggling against him, and the boy was lost. Jason softened his grip on the kit and felt a knot in his stomach. However, he shook the idea and growled, thinking about putting pressure on Ethan's arm.
Tina grabbed Jason's arm with a grip and looked at her friend with concern. Jason was perplexed, growling in annoyance but letting go of Ethan's arm. The tom headed toward the exit. The molly looked on before focusing on the quiet boy below her.
Tina attempted to inspect Ethan's arm, but the boy brushed her off and held himself tighter.
"I'm fine…..just leave me alone….please," Ethan whispered, his voice shaky and refusing to look at Tina.
Tina's ear flattened, scratching the back of her head before nodding. She said nothing and headed towards the exit. Tina looked back again before exiting to catch up with her friend.
Once he heard the door close, Ethan sat up and kept his eyes down. He felt a sob coming and grabbed his mouth to stop himself, refusing to cry and shaking his head to let it stay inside. He steeled himself and let go of his mouth, refusing to move and silently sitting by himself.
Tina quickly caught up to Jason and swiftly grabbed his arm, pinning him against the wall. She glared at her friend, and her tail was sharply waving. Tina eased up when seeing Jason's lost look and ears down as he prepared for whatever she had to say.
Tina sighed but firmly held her friend, "What the hell was that? Look….I understand your feelings, but you went too far!"
"You're defending him now?"
"Who cares about that? I don't want you to get into trouble with June, so just take a breather next time and let me handle it. Shit, I know he can run his mouth sometimes, and I agree that he needs a good spank occasionally, but…..that's it."
Jason gritted his teeth, brushing his friend's hands off him and continuing down the path.
"Are you getting soft on aliens? Do you remember how many good kats we lost when those insects invaded us? When they became infected, we blasted our own kat's heads, and some civilians…." Jason stopped, eyes darting around and closing them as the haunting memories were coming back to him. He put a hand on his face and tried to console himself as best he could, feeling the weight of his sins and like he was drowning in the blood of those he killed that day.
Tina's hand settled on Jason's neck, gently kneading it to ease his friend, hearing it work as Jason softly purred and eased up. When Tina felt that Jason was okay, she let go and hugged him, placing her head on her surrogate brother's back and making sure he was okay.
"Orders are orders…what a load of bullshit," Tina grumbled.
If kats could hear these two's thoughts, the awful sounds of guns and death being handed down that horrible day. Their old Captain ruthlessly ordered them to cut down the 'threat' that was earlier an 'ally' without a second thought. In a distant memory, they were once hopeful and excited to save the city, becoming heroes, only for that memory to burn to ash as the reality of what they have to face….and orders they had to follow without question.
Ethan stayed in the matt, determination and goals not in sight as the boy stayed where he was, unmoving and questioning everything he did. The boy's mind was clouded by what Jason said and what happened when the Twins attacked the city. He would grit his teeth and clench his fist but let go when the same thing came to his head.
"I'm not like them," Ethan mumbled before shaking his head and weakly smiling. "I mean, Chance and Evelyn don't care about that….right?"
The smile faltered, and the small light in his eyes was turning off, leaving emptiness like a dark void. Ethan looked at his hands and feet, seeing the different amounts of fingers and toes compared to kats. He touched his face, feeling no fur and just his smooth face. Ethan felt out of place in this world, putting his knees close to his face and holding himself close as he felt alone.
"You look like someone died," a voice rang out. However, the boy kept his face down as he could figure out who it was.
"Hey…..Dante," Ethan muttered.
Dante blinked, expecting the boy to yell at or whine about being taught something new. They were still in the early phases of Ethan's training, and progress has been steadily going. Ethan was getting the hang of the cards and transferring mana more fluidly. From the viewpoint of specific eyes, Ethan's barrier was getting smoother but still fiercely kept Dante from inserting his spectral form into the boy's physical body.
"You need something?" Ethan asked, making Dante refocus on the boy. "Any luck on your search or getting your memories back?"
"Nope...at this point, I am not sure if there are any other magical beings around," Dante growled, plopping down to sit next to Ethan in a butterfly position, placing his paws on his legs and letting out a sigh. "This city is so vast and wide…nothing like Megalith City ages ago. That's what eight hundred years will do. The only things that remain are artifacts of the past or whatever these scavengers find when unearthing the ground."
"Nothing is triggering your memory?" Ethan asked, briefly looking at his magical teacher. "The museum has helped….no?"
Dante waved his hands, "Somewhat…..but it's not enough to lead me somewhere. I wish I could rip this city apart to find something."
"Please don't," Ethan chuckled, "Or you will knock yourself out like me."
Dante nodded, knowing full well that his form was unstable and would vanish if he expended himself too much, returning to the place his journey started. It was a challenge to return to this world, and he was thankful for the boy's existence and for keeping him alive. However, that's where his other concern was. If the boy perished, he would sleep forever, waiting for another fool to mess with chaos or something disrupting the balance of the world.
Dante looked at his student, who returned to look down and was just wallowing in his misery. He raised an eyebrow, scratching his head and thinking if he should say something.
"What's eating you?" Dante finally let out after some thought.
"Nothing….just nothing," Ethan said, waiving his hands at Dante. "It's not like you care about these sort of things…..I just need to be by myself."
"True…..you mortals wallow about the dumbest things," Dante said, "However, I'm not getting anywhere with my search and need a distraction from time to time, so what's in your mind?"
"Thanks, I appreciate that I can entertain YOU!" Ethan scoffed, shaking his head and looking ahead. The exit was there, but Jason's words lingered in his thoughts, and he sighed. "I feel….out of place, you know? I'm not like them, and it just hit me how others outside look at me….a freak. I just want them to stop seeing me like that and…have a way for me to hide it."
There was a bit of silence until Dante laughed, making Ethan blush and jerk his head toward his teacher with annoyance.
"If you are just going to laugh, then fuck you!" Ethan shouted, standing up and proceeding to head toward the exit. He felt silly for sharing anything personal with this kat. Ethan stopped and looked at his teacher in disgust, "I can't believe I-"
"Sure!" Dante exclaimed, ignoring his student's anger and swiftly standing up. He moved toward Ethan, circling around the confused boy and eyeing Ethan's features. Dante stopped and snapped his fingers when a memory came to him, making him grin and put a paw on his chin. "Yes….this could work. You are in a better condition than before, and we can use your powers to make up for it in the final step."
"What do you mean?"
"Ethan Ethan…..think for a second, my stupid student. What are your strongest pillars?"
"Um…Conjuration and Illusion?"
"Yes! Which means…"
Ethan blinked briefly until it hit him, "You mean?!"
Dante grinned and nodded, "So you want to be a kat like us? I didn't peg you as a conscious individual, but….I can't let my student wallow in his misery all day now, can I? Listen up….we will move on from the cards for now and start your first lessons…are ya ready?"
Ethan smiled and nodded, intently listening to whatever Dante had to say and ready to learn something new.
Evelyn occupied herself in the work area, checking the expiration dates and listing whatever they needed to restock….again for the fourth time. She sighed, tapping her fingers on the lower cabinets and thinking to herself to find something else to distract her. Evelyn's eyes drifted around as she wondered what she should do rather than this. Her ears perked when hearing the door open. She expected to be Ethan but wished that was not the case since she would not forgive the Dynamic Duo.
"Hey, can we talk?" Chance said, easing the doctor somewhat but felt another worry come up.
"If it's about the device, then I'm sorry," Evelyn said, "I would have told you sooner….but June prefers to keep that one a secret…..only using it when someone tries to do anything to defy her."
"Sounds in line with how she is," Chance grumbled, getting close to the doctor and leaning against the cabinet. He looked at the doctor. Evelyn brushed her hair and looked away from him. "Though, give a warning next time…..were partners, no?"
"Partners? Since when?" Evelyn smiled, giving Chance a look, "Benson is my partner, and yours is Jake unless you want to start an affair. Sounds a bit scandalous."
Chance laughed and snorted, "Oh, please! I won't say anything if you don't. I'm just worried about what the neighbors would think if they found out. I must keep appearances up since I'm an upstanding tom."
Both laughed, shaking their heads and easing up.
"I mean with Ethan. God, that kit is such a handful sometimes. Can you believe he dared to speak against June for us?" Chance grinned, letting a small chuckle as he shook his head. "He's a good kit. I wished he would think before doing things, but he's alright."
"Just make sure to stop him before he does something dangerous," Evelyn reminded, sighing and crossing her arms. "He got lucky with that bust a while back, but let's not add more oil to his flame…sometimes I wished they would….."
"Let him be a kit?" Chance asked, getting a confirmation nod from the doctor. "Yeah….I get you. The more time I'm around him….., the more I realize how fucked up the situation is. A kit soldier…how far has this city fallen to do that…the majority of kats in this city will never see that. They only see an alien invader, a tool, and a dangerous individual. I was guilty about that when I first met him…crud, I'm such a….."
Evelyn touched Chance's hand and smiled, "Well, you're taking the first steps, unlike the rest. You know, it's nice….."
"What is?"
"Don't worry about it," Evelyn said, ignoring the tabby's puzzlement, looking at a clock nearby and the time, "I'll give them thirty minutes and then head over there to check on him."
Chance scratched his head, wondering what the doctor would say, but refocused on the doctor, looking for something to do. His eyes glanced towards the door, and a thought came to him. Chance smiled, grabbing her hands gently and softly, pulling her to follow him.
"Let's head out for a bit. A nice walk and fresh air will do us some good," Chance said, putting his arm around her and amused when seeing Evelyn's annoyed look. "Don't worry, I know….not a date. Just two adults enjoying their company together."
"I'm fine with that," Evelyn said, eyeing Chance's hand on her shoulder but shaking her head and letting it go. A small smile did appear as they left the infirmary.
Ethan was in his room, which had changed over the time he was with the Strays. His side of the room had posters, a cabinet starting to be filled up with comics or things he saw when outside, and the bedding had changed to his favorite color, blue and gray. He was still debating what else he wanted, reaching out to Mike and asking the tom if he could get him certain things when coming up with something. Zoe's broken knife was on top of his bedside table.
Chance's side had also changed, putting furniture and posters on the wall. His personal stuff was on hanging shelves, and some dumbells were in the corner. His comics were on his own bookshelf, with a massive stack of new ones of issues he missed out on when he was in jail.
Chance had given Ethan some ground rules a while ago when he found Ethan staring at his old porno mag collection. One of the rules was that Ethan was not allowed to read the comics he recently got as he wanted to be the first to touch them and read them, only being allowed when they were placed on the bookshelves. Second, don't bend the pages! Third, the scardy kat book is a no-go. Finally, anything in his dresser cabinet is off-limits, where he put certain personal belongings and the porno, now locked with a lock.
Ethan popped open the lock with ease, putting the lock to the side and scanning for what he was looking for. He saw the porno again, relooking at the pages to see what the fuss was about. He recalled his ex-friend showing him some back in his world, but the boy felt nothing when seeing the naked females exposing their parts in very scandalous positions. Ethan scratched his head, trying to understand what Chance and Toby saw in these kinds of magazines before putting them aside and searching for something else.
"Where did he put it…there!" Ethan said, pulling a stack of photo albums and bringing them toward his bed. He had never seen them before, only glanced at the albums when Chance still had his comics in his cabinet. Ethan was curious about them but respected Chance's privacy since the tabby had let him read his things during his punishment. "Sorry, Chance… I'll make it up to you somehow."
Ethan would have gone with the earliest dated album for his goal, but he wanted to learn about the tabby. It appeared that Chance had stopped doing photo albums years ago, even before he went to prison. Ethan opened the latest album, greeted with pictures of when Chance was becoming an Enforcer. Images of his cadet time, young, confident, and with eyes beaming like he was gearing up to go somewhere beyond.
"Huh…..I wonder what he was like back then?" Ethan mused, flipping the page to see a picture that made him freeze.
A photo of Chance and Jake at a party with other cadets, arms around each other and enjoying a beer with the caption 'Best Buddy! The first phase is DONE! CELEBRATION!' This was such a far cry from now, and it made Ethan double back to ensure he saw things correctly. There were photos of them before, and it seemed they were roommates. After the first phase, pictures of Chance and Jake from photographers taking photos of the new recruits and some pamphlets about their achievements. They had days off, during which they would be fooling around or enjoying each other's company. Of course, the album had pictures of Chance's other cadet friends, things he did for fun, and sometimes notes of Chance's thoughts during that time. The last photo in the album was with him and Jake graduating with captions underneath, 'Look out, villains! There are new kings in the sky!'
They were grinning and appeared to start their journey to become great city defenders.
"What happened to them?" Ethan whispered, seeing complete strangers before him and shaking his head. "Why did Feral punish them? I don't…get it."
Ethan closed the album and quickly picked up an older one, avoiding the rest and wanting to look for what he was looking for. He opened the one with tags written by someone else and labeled it when Chance was thirteen. Ethan almost snorted when seeing the first picture of the younger tabby, a bit bigger than he expected but not precisely fat with a cute baby face despite him trying to look tough, just a bit taller and broader than most other kits. Ethan went ahead and found a nice complete picture of Chance with his mother, both standing and appearing to enjoy a festival together. 'Winter Festival.' Chance's mom was also a tabby with light amber fur, green eyes like her son, and a short hairstyle. Chance's mom looked happy despite her tired eyes and wore Enforcer clothes.
"So she was an Enforcer? She seems pretty strong…I wonder what she was like?" Ethan said, carefully taking out the photo and placing it at the side. The boy pulled out a small steel bar he had grabbed from R&D, inspecting both and trying to figure out why he needed them.
"Well…unlike the rest of us, Dante never changes with his lack of explanations in the beginning," Ethan mused, shaking his head and putting everything else back into the cabinet, making sure to put everything back where it was initially and reengage the lock. Once satisfied, Ethan grabbed his two items and headed out.
Chance and Evelyn were sitting on a small hill outside. They enjoyed the view of their surroundings and stayed quiet as the tiny air moved their fur. The tabby looked to the sky, mind stuck on something, and Evelyn glanced at him, noticing the tabby's deep thought.
"Did you always want to become a pilot?" Evelyn said, making the tabby blink and look at her.
"Huh?" Chance said, tilting his head.
Evelyn smiled, "I said….did you always want to become a pilot?"
"Oh! Yeah, ever since I was little," Chance said, laughing and shaking his head. He rubbed his chin, "Well…..actually, I wanted to become…..a good guy like those comic book heroes. Though, so much for that."
Chance let out a heavy sigh and looked at the grass below.
"You can still be one," Evelyn attempted to cheer the tabby, only to see Chance shake his head.
"No…..that ship sailed long ago. Feral and the Enforcers made me regret ever joining the Enforcers. I used to love this city to death, but now….I don't know."
Evelyn's ears flattened when seeing how lost Chance looked. She could sense Chance's weight of guilt, wondering if things could have been different for him if he had picked other choices. Evelyn asked herself about her previous options, if things would be different for her, and if her kit would still be alive. She looked away from the tabby and shook her head, realizing she could not change the past despite how much she wanted to.
"Do you ever….." Chance whispered, making Evelyn look back at him. "Do you ever think about the what-ifs?"
"Sometimes…" Evelyn muttered, bowing her head and touching the grass beneath her. She gripped the grass as it hit her. "And there are times when it hits me so hard that it feels like I'm drowning in regret."
"Yeah, tell me about it. You heard that I met a different version of myself years ago?"
"I heard stories about that. It must have been such a shock to you."
"Very…..though they were heroes in their reality while I…." Chance growled, hitting the grass beneath him. "Damn it…..why couldn't we…you have no idea how badly I wanted to kill them. I just couldn't bear seeing them."
Seeing Chance's intensity, Evelyn winced but slowly approached the tabby and placed her hand on his shoulder. Chance tensed up at the touch but eased up and sighed heavily, reaching with his hand and putting it on top of Evelyn's hand.
"Thank you," Chance said, taking a moment before looking at the doctor with a weak smile.
Evelyn nodded at him, pulling her hand back and adjusting herself to be more comfortable, now sitting an inch away from the tom beside her. She looked at her hands for a bit, looking at them as she recalled her own troubles and looked at her companion at her side. Evelyn has gotten to know Chance more during their time together. She at first pegged him as a kat with anger issues, a brute, and a bit annoying with his constant attempts to woo her. Of course, these were true, but Chance was so much more despite his rough exterior, and it was nice to see him be a gentle giant with their human friend.
"Everything alright?" Chance cut in, smirking and scratching his neck as he saw Evelyn look at him. "See something you like?"
"And there he goes….." Evelyn scoffed, rolling her eyes, but she smiled slightly as she enjoyed her time with him. However, the weight of her troubles was festering, and her smile faded as she thought about it. "Say…does it not bother you? What June said about me?"
"Why would it?" Chance said, not hesitating or appearing fazed with what June said about Evelyn. "You killed some bad kats…..it's not like you killed innocent civilians."
"Chance…..is not that simple," Evelyn said, shaking her head and looking at her hands in disgust. "I took their lives…I'm a doctor. I should be saving lives! Not…..taking them…."
Chance frowned, hating seeing the doctor so down and wanting her to smile again. He was stuck on what to say and thought about it.
"Do you want to know why I killed them?" Evelyn said, making the tabby wince and shake his head.
"You don't have to-"
"I want to tell you…..because I want you to tell Ethan for me. I'm not….strong enough to explain to him why I did it. When June told him about my crime…..his face was in disbelief and confusion…..I just can't…." Evelyn paused, wishing Ethan had not heard that and expecting the boy to be afraid of her. She felt Chance's thick finger on her chin as he guided her to look at him.
"You should be the one to tell him. Trust me, the boy can take it, and he's…annoyingly very understanding," Chance said, smiling at June. "I still have to tell him things about myself…..so why don't we lay it all out there together? How does that sound?"
Evelyn chuckled, feeling comfortable while staring at Chance's green eyes. She reached to touch her necklace for additional strength until she didn't feel it. Evelyn blinked in confusion, moving away from Chance's hand and feeling around her neck to see she was no longer wearing it. She gasped, looking around the grass and panicking.
Chance was alarmed as he watched the usually calm doctor inspecting the grass in a panic and stood with her.
"Is something wrong?" Chance asked, getting ignored by the doctor as she kept looking. He saw her shiver, making him go to her and gently put a hand on her back. Evelyn finally looked at the tabby with a scared look, "Hey, what's the matter?"
"My necklace!" Evelyn cried out, clutching her hands and looking at Chance with pleading eyes, "I lost my necklace. Chance, please help me look for it! I can't….lose that….please, I can't."
"Alright, just take a deep breath and calm down," Chance said, grimacing when he got a glare from the doctor. "Sorry, I mean…let's think about where you could have dropped it. Let's pretend you didn't drop it out here. You were at the medical wing. Did you take it off before you went there?"
"No, I don't take it off till I get to my room," Evelyn said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot, thinking where it could have fallen. She then realized something and rubbed her neck, "Damn it! I must have pulled it off when we were electrocuted!"
Chance nodded and guided them back to the base, "Then let's go and check."
"I'll check. You should see if Ethan is doing alright with those two!" Evelyn reminded, only to get a wave and a grin from Chance.
"This will only take a bit. We'll check on him together…..and have that uncomfortable conversation together. Alright?"
"Chance, I'm not-"
"No butts! Come on, partner, we are the adults here. We have to be there for each other with Ethan….though if he starts asking about the birds and the bees, then that's all you!" Chance laughed, grabbing her hand and heading towards the hatch.
Evelyn rolled her eyes and wanted to argue, but nothing came out. She dismissed it and followed the tabby with a weak smile.
Ethan made it to the cafeteria area, looking around but not seeing Dante anywhere, making the boy groan and walk around. His eyes scanned for the teacher, and he was about to shout his name when he felt something beneath his feet. Ethan stopped and lifted his foot away to see a necklace on the floor, making the boy grab it.
"Whose necklace is this?" Ethan mumbled, looking for any indication of the owner but finding nothing except the trigger to open it. The necklace was silver with a lovely silver oval locket. He clicked on the trigger, swiftly revealing a photo of a kit.
Unknown to Ethan, this was Atlas, and inside the locket, the pictures were divided with slots that could contain two small photos on both sides. Atlas's photographs range from when he was a baby till he was ten. A silver kitten with blue eyes, with a soft look and innocent.
"Hey, this could help," Dante said, standing behind Ethan, who jumped and spun around.
"You almost gave me a heart attack!" Ethan yelled, touching his heart and glaring at the laughing kat. "Not funny! Ass….this better not be a waste of time!"
"Calm yourself! And….. let's start with your first Conjuration and Illusion lesson and a bit of the other houses for good measure," Dante said, sitting nearby with Ethan excitedly following him to the table.
Dante indicated with his paw for Ethan to show him what he had gathered, and the boy pulled out the photo and steel pipe. Ethan looked at the locket and placed it with the items as well.
"So let's start with this pipe and mentally think of alternating it with your mind to something wearable. Preferably something you can take off but not too easy to fall off you…..maybe like a bracelet or ring. First, break it down in your head and reimagine it into whatever you want. Both require a mental image, concentration, and mana to be pushed into the pipe. This is Restoration and Destruction. They are your weakest pillars, but since the task is small….it shouldn't be too hard," Dante instructed, putting his hand on his chin and leaning on the table, waiting for his student to start.
"Don't I have to create the spells inside my Inner Sanctuary?" Ethan said, seeing Dante shake his head and wave for him to not worry about it.
"We are not solidifying a spell in this case, oh…..that's right, I need to explain it. You can accomplish magic without creating a proper spell. However, this is wild magic since you randomly draw out a spell. Think back to the squid….you wanted to crush it with your bare hands and thought about it…..it could have gone anywhere…your hands could have grown big, a bunch of arms could have appeared out of nowhere, etcetera, etcetera. This is not recommended, especially in that high parameter, since you don't pick what you want, and mana is drawn too quickly….leaving the wizard vulnerable or, in your case, collapsing. This is small compared to that…..oh! Keep an eye on your flames when turning the metal into liquid!"
"Okay….." Ethan sighed, hating Dante's 'do it and see' teaching method.
Ethan grabbed the pipe and imagined a small fire as he clasped it with both hands. He felt his mana going to the tube and the heat in his hand turning on. Ethan reopened his eyes and saw a shadowy black flame melt the pipe and the metal leaking onto the table. His mouth dropped a bit as he stared at his hands that burned a black fire, but it did not hurt him, and he kept going till he was done.
"A bit different color from your card's flame, right?" Dante spoke up, laughing at his student's amazement. "Remember….you are a wizard that uses darkness…..it affects how your spells look and what you can do. Say you wanted to create a portal like Shadow Gateway but make it so any light source can be used to travel…..you wouldn't be able to do that since you are not a Light wizard. You can both accomplish portals, but they need to be done under your classification…..you use shadows to travel and the shadows of others to see what they did…understand?"
Ethan nodded, looking at the pool before him and putting his hand on top. Before focusing again and channeling energy, he thought about a ring and how it would look. Ethan felt the liquid morphing into something before opening his eye and turning his hand to reveal a silver ring with markings and a chain.
"Excellent! Now let's start with the final phase…..Enchament will be this base, but you are enchanting this item with a Conjuration and Illusion spell. You'll go to your plane inside but channel the energy to the ring instead of the pillar. You're still green with mana, so blood will be needed to create this. I'll leave the conditions and barriers up to you." Dante yawned, scratching his head and thinking about taking a long nap after this.
"Say, how does this work? Why not just do Illusion or Conjuration for this spell?" Ethan asked, inspecting the ring and hearing a groan from his teacher.
"Yes and no, but Conjuration creates the body, and Illusion creates the finishing touches. Let's say you used one only…..something will stand out with Conjuration, and it would not feel natural. Illusion is not just an image but all five senses. However, kats could tell the difference if they touched you. Combining both creates the perfect spell for this need! So look at the photos for reference and imagine a body you want to make, visualize, and build a kat body!"
Ethan was about to say something till Dante whispered something and flicked a spell at him. A brief flash went in his head, all about how a kat body feels and there attributes. Ethan rubbed his eyes and saw Dante shivering as he breathed a tired sigh.
"Just so you can understand how a kat body feels and how to create one. Alright….you are all set," Dante murmured, yawning and showing his teeth to the kid.
Ethan sighed, looking at Dante with annoyance, "You make it sound so easy!"
"That's because it is!"
"Gah! Why can't you realize this is all new to me! Please…I need help.…..like what should I do about the barriers?"
"FINE…Think of something that will allow you to use it for a long period or as long you wear the ring. Needlessly channeling magic to it constantly will drain you, and if you lose focus, it will affect this spell…..so think of a deal when you wear it, just like the substitution magic when you fixed that arm."
Ethan winced at the thought, shaking his head and slightly shivering at the memory. He did not want a painful exchange again, but Dante was correct that he needed something to make it work long-term. A hundred thoughts came to Ethan, but all of them were rejected, and he frowned at his wall.
"Hmm….something I can give temporarily," Ethan whispered, still mulling about his options and looking at three individuals in the photos. "If I just copy a younger version of Chance, it would be weird…..so…."
Ethan looked at the two other kats and thought of mixing all three features with the kitten serving as the base of his creation. He looked at the ring. He smiled at his accomplishment, regardless of how small it was, feeling that he was getting better each day with magic.
Ethan's eyes widen as he realizes something, quickly closing his eyes and grasping the ring tight. He chanted to go inside his realm and saw the ring on the other side. Ethan channeled energy and blood to this ring, feeling a great sensation and creating the condition to make it more robust, heightening its magical presence. It finished with the magic dissipating and going toward the ring. The boy chanted his exit and returned to the table, swaying as he felt he gave more blood than necessary and grabbing the table for balance.
After a brief moment, Ethan released the grip on his hand to show the ring now had black colors mixed with silver. The boy smiled and began to put it in his middle finger though stopping at the tip and looking at Dante with a worried look.
"What if this doesn't work?" Ethan said.
"It will work…..just put it on, and you'll get what you wished for. Trust me…..my friend," Dante said, eyes fluttering as he felt exhausted.
"I do….I just…." Ethan paused when he noticed Dante was gone, his spectral energy heading to the bracelet. "…..wished you stay up longer to see this with me."
Ethan sighed, looking at his hand again and slowly inserting the ring into his finger, feeling his heart race near the end. Once there, there was silence until a black shadow emerged from the accessory and started to cover the frightened boy. Ethan gasped, closing his eyes in fear and trying to block the shadow coming to his face. He was still breathing fine and did not feel hurt, making Ethan slowly open his eyes to see nothing except the same view.
"Huh?" Ethan said, feeling something swishing behind him, making him jerk back to see a tail connected to his pants. He reached to grab it and noticed his hand was different, covered in fur and only four fingers.
Ethan gasped, quickly heading towards the kitchen and finding something reflective to see himself better. He was greeted with a kat instead of a human. Ethan inspected himself – light amber fur, orange stripes, green and blue eyes, and orange-tipped ears. Everything felt natural like he was in a new body.
The sound of his stomach rumbling ruined his inspection of himself, making the boy wince and hold his stomach in pain. Ethan sighed, ignoring everything and heading to the fridge to grab something to eat.
Chance and Evelyn were making their way down the hall, with Evelyn quickening her pace as they approached the door leading to the cafeteria area. The tabby was about to say something until they were greeted by the sight of the Dynamic Duo, who was talking about something until they noticed them approaching them. Chance's eyes hardened when seeing Ethan was not with them, and he stopped, looking around for the boy.
"Where's Ethan?" Chance growled, crossing his arms, with Jason ignoring him and Tina rolling her eyes.
"Don't know, he kind of disappeared on us when we returned to the training room," Tina said, shrugging her shoulder. She sighed, glancing briefly at Jason and hoping the tom did not push the kid too far. "We were about to check the cafeteria and see if the little pipsqueak went to get food."
Chance was about to argue with her when he saw Evelyn enter the kitchen. She briefly glared at the two before entering. The tabby sighed, scratching his head and thinking of letting it slide. He ignored the pair and followed the doctor, hearing the duo following behind him. Chance expected Evelyn to be looking around until he saw the doctor frozen in the middle. Chance raised an eyebrow, going to her side and seeing her confused expression, making him look at what she was looking at to see a kit making himself a sandwich from afar.
"Who the hell?" Tina mumbled, seeing the kit and looking at Jason. "Did someone break into our facility?"
"Doubt it," Jason muttered, being the first to approach what he thought was a new visitor. "HEY, who are you?"
Ethan's ears twitched when hearing Jason, making him frown and see all the adults in the room. He had just finished creating his masterpiece and groaned, wishing to enjoy it in peace. Ethan gave Jason a middle finger, ignoring the confused tom, and walked towards the bench, waving at the rest of the kats. Too tired to realize their confused looks, taking a bite from his sandwich and sighing in relief.
"Man, that's good! Nothing beats a great tuna sandwich," Ethan said, looking toward Chance and Evelyn, finally noticing their looks. Evelyn tensed up when she saw his face and put her hand on her mouth. He stopped taking a bite and awkwardly smiled as he tried to figure out what was wrong. "Is there something in my face or something?"
Everyone's ears twitched when hearing Ethan's voice, realizing it was the human though now in kat form.
Evelyn slowly went to him, putting her hands on Ethan's furry cheeks and inspecting him closely, and a tear fell as she stared at her late son's face. She could not bare it, shaking her head and walking towards the door, leaving a confused Ethan staring at her when she left.
"Evelyn?" Ethan tried calling out but got nothing back, making him fold his ears as he tried to figure out if he had done something wrong. He looked at Chance with a confused look, "What did I do?"
Chance snapped out of his confusion and looked at the kit more closely before noticing the necklace and his old picture near the boy. He let out a frustrating growl, making Ethan look down as he got more confused. Sitting beside Ethan, Chance sighed and rubbed his eyes before looking at the kid.
"Is this permanent?" Chance said, touching the boy's head and feeling the kit's ears to see if they were real before pulling them.
"Ouch! That hurts!" Ethan whined, his head finally catching up and realizing he was in Kat form. "No, it's just something I created…..give me a moment."
Ethan pulled on his ring, which released his form and his shadow cloak getting sucked up by the ring, returning the boy to his normal state. All the adults flinched when they saw the spectacle before them and watched the boy use the ring necklace to put it around his neck. Ethan shyly looked around to see the adults looking at him with mixed reactions.
"I have so many questions, but let's check on Evelyn for now, okay?" Chance said, grabbing his photo and Evelyn's necklace and seeing the picture of Atlas. He understood why Evelyn left and put a paw on the kid's back, guiding them toward the door.
Jason and Tina stayed quiet, watching them leave before looking at each other. Tina rubbed her neck, knowing who Ethan reminded Evelyn of since they briefly discussed it. Jason put two and two together to figure it out, learning about the kit but never seeing a picture of him.
"Stupid brat. Always causing trouble for us," Jason growled.
"I kind of feel…this is our fault," Tina corrected, getting Jason to look at her confusion. "The 'you don't belong here' speech didn't go so well, did it?"
Jason wanted to argue against it but groaned when he realized he did push it today. He looked towards the exit, "Should we join them?"
"No….let them handle it. It would be better if we stayed out of this. Just…..think before you say something next time. I need a fucking drink."
Evelyn sat in her bed, looking at the floor as her fur was wet underneath her eyes, crying for a good couple of minutes. She shivered, clenching herself close and wishing her kitten was still alive. However, life was cruel and unjust, taking more than it gives, reminding her of the cold day she lost her kit.
A knock on the door alerted the doctor, who rubbed her eyes and looked towards the door.
"Whoever it is, just please leave me alone," Evelyn snapped, hoping whomever it was would leave.
"It's me," Ethan said, making the doctor blink and look away. "Can I come in…..please?"
Evelyn scratched her neck, staying silent for a moment before easing up.
"Okay," Evelyn said, greeted by Ethan's human form, which made her relax and feel something else. She attempted to smile, but it would waver as she refused to look at him.
Ethan felt his heart drop, feeling rejected by the doctor and wondering if he should bring Chance inside for help. The tabby softly reprimanded him and told Ethan the necklace belonged to Evelyn, making the boy feel guilty as he realized what he had done. Ethan was lost on what to do and would glance around for guidance. He finally decided to move slowly toward the doctor and sit with her, feeling her tensed up when he did so.
They stayed silent with each other, and Ethan struggled to find something to say. The boy realized something, pulling Evelyn's necklace from his pocket and handing it to her.
"I'm…..sorry," Ethan whispered.
Evelyn blinked, realizing she had left without looking for the necklace, and gently grabbed it from the boy's hand. She nodded and gently brushed the kid's head before placing it around her neck. Opening the locket, she looked at the picture of her kit with sad eyes and clenched it close to her.
"I'm sorry," Ethan repeated, sniffling as he shook.
Evelyn glanced at the boy, seeing him with his head down and gripping his knees. Her ears flattened, and she reached out.
"It's okay….hey, it's-"
"It's not! I'm…I'm…..," Ethan cried, anxious and scared. "I'm sorry…..please don't hate me. Please don't…..hate me."
Evelyn shook when Ethan cried and silently sobbed, making her heart drop, and she quickly hugged him.
"Hey….. it's okay….it's okay," Evelyn whispered, holding him close and putting her head on his. She gently rubbed the boy's back and nuzzled her head against his, wanting him to ease up and stop crying. "I'm not mad…just needed a moment, okay?"
Ethan hugged her tightly, "You sure? I…..I didn't mean to…."
Evelyn smiled, gently pulling the boy back and making him look at her.
"See?" Evelyn said, gently rubbing the boy's tears away and brushing his hair. Her ears flicked when the door opened, and Chance came in with a worried expression. She sighed and mentally cursed herself for making these two worried about her.
Chance sat on the other side of Ethan, glancing at both of them and calming down when noticing Evelyn's smile. The three stayed silent, enjoying each other's company and letting any lingering worries drift away. Ethan was the first to act, pulled out his necklace, and handed it to Evelyn, who stared at it in confusion.
"I….don't need it…..especially if it makes you upset," Ethan said, looking at the ring sadly as he placed it on the doctor's hand. He chuckled weakly and rubbed his neck, "I just wanted to…..no, it doesn't matter."
Evelyn looked at the ring handed to her and inspected it before looking at the boy. She quickly figured out why the boy created this and recalled the horrible looks that kats would give Ethan, making her curse them for causing the boy grief. Evelyn shook her head and gave it back to Ethan with a smile.
"I can make another-"
"No, it's fine. Just do me a favor….can you show it to me again?"
Chance was about to protest but stopped when Evelyn looked at him, making him sigh and nod. Ethan nodded, getting off the bed and about to place the ring on his hand. Evelyn shifted her body closer toward Chance, reaching to grab his hand. Chance did not react, letting the she-kat grip him tight as much as she wanted as they watched the boy put the ring on.
Ethan was surrounded by darkness, which disappeared and showed his kat form to the pair. Chance hid his pain as he felt Evelyn letting out her claws and poking him, keeping a stoic expression and eyeing Ethan's form – finding interest in the boy's fur color until it clicked on him.
"You went with my ma's colors?" Chance said, getting a confirmed nod from Ethan. He smiled at the boy, seeing him go with a tabby appearance. "It looks good on you, though don't think I forgot that you broke into my cabinet…..again."
"I'm sorry," Ethan said, ears flattening and looking at the floor. "I needed some reference when creating this….I hope I'm not pushing it…..I really liked your mom's colors."
"It's fine…..just ask next time, okay?" Chance said firmly, getting another nod from the boy, and mused to himself to get a better lock. His eye twitched when he felt Evelyn's claw dig deeper into him, and he looked at the doctor. "What do you think?"
Evelyn eased up, realizing she was hurting Chance, and looked back at Ethan. All she could see was Atlas, staying quiet and examining every detail of his face. The fur color was different, with some extra fur here and there, and the eyes were two colors instead of just blue. However, no matter how many differences she saw…..she still saw her kit and how he would have looked if he was thirteen. Evelyn called upon all the world's strengths to help her, slowly smiling at the boy and signaling him to approach. Once Ethan was close to her, she grabbed his cheeks again and inspected him more closely, feeling both sad and happy as she looked at Atlas. She ignored the tabby beside her, sensing his worry, and hugged the kit before him.
Ethan was confused and hugged her back, feeling her hug him differently than before – more maternal than just comforting him. He felt conflicted but enjoyed the sensation that felt nice, almost reminding him of when Zoe hugged him. Ethan glanced at Chance, who eyed them and smiled when Ethan looked at him, getting a sense the tabby was telling him not to worry about it.
Ethan closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment, regardless of what it would entail in the future.
On a large island a hundred miles away from Megakat City, a small co-owned country connected to other countries. This land was called the Broken Isles of the World, with the belief that it was once the central piece of land when all the nations were one huge land. This was evident with it containing certain fruits and vegetables from different countries. Archeologists were still unearthing evidence of past civilizations and eager to be the next Kat to land in the newspaper.
The island was a great tourist attraction for many to visit for the holidays, allowing them to experience what the world had to offer with different nationalities housed here. Clothing, food, and anything someone could think of were here on this island. Embassies were located around the island, with Megakat City's embassy settling close to the coast.
It was peaceful on the surface. However, nations were always ready to retaliate against each other if one would overstep here. There was an agreement that the police here would deal with any troubles, though it was apparent that some officers would find allegiance with certain countries. Sometimes incidents would be overlooked due to 'peace,' but this was just an excuse though it never went too far to raise an eyebrow.
A boarding school was here, highly regarded by other countries, and would boast itself as the best school to create connections worldwide. Military, business, rich, and powerful kat's kittens came to this school. Very competitive and with a meager acceptance rate. Of course, if someone had good connections, there were always backdoors to let anyone inside.
A peacekeeper was a fancy way to label Enforcers stationed here or anywhere outside of the Megakat City, who served as representatives and bodyguards for arriving ambassadors of their city. One of these peacekeepers was looking at the school gates with contempt. She sighed, flipping his files to see kats injured by their own kits. The kits would act normally when returning home for a break, only to attack their parents in a rage and chant nonsense about destroying the current system. It just recently occurred, with allied countries also voicing their concerns about their own attacks. However, politics would stop anyone from investigating the school, with hostile nations warning them not to interfere and letting the police investigate it. Nothing has come up, nor has any investigation been conducted.
The ambassador was similar to a British Shorthair cat, professionally dressed, a female with black hair and piercing yellow eyes. Her name was Alex Pawford. She was cautious as her eyes glanced around at times to make sure no one was looking at her before continuing her reading. She sighed, closing it and putting away as she drank her coffee.
"I should have stayed with my unit back home," Alex groaned, shaking her head at herself and looking at the tourist enjoying their time. "After this mess….I'm transferring back…..yes siree. Enforcer politics is not for me, and if some asshat tells me something with a smug look one more time….I'll break their neck!"
A gulped could be heard next to her, seeing a slightly chubby and short kat looking at her in fear.
"Not you, darling," Alex laughed at her other assignment, "You are alright for a snobby politician!"